#SecondVisit #OdaHouse #Georgian by #MaiaAcquaviva #DavidTskhvariashviki and #LashaMaisuradze Since 2019 #406East73rdStreet #Manhattan
Run, don't walk, to the cheese bread which is a total home run, again and you have to have it
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and now we know Maia Acquaviva, whom we were delighted to meet for the first time as she is Founder, Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Oda House. We worked with her directly, and she came to New York in 2007. We learned that she was once a plastic surgeon in her country, Georgia, so you can expect to discover her extraordinary knife skills.
We wish more women gave us the chance to say anything boys can do girls can do better, and when we find ones as great as Maia, we will tell you. We are happy to work with men obviously, like we did the first time with Co-Owner David, and Lasha is also a Co-Owner here. There's a big difference between being featured once and being featured twice.
This is our second successful visit to Oda House; they earned their first review in the Fall of 2023.
This is the only Georgian cuisine restaurant we have ever featured twice we believe off the top of Peachy's head and it's possible the only one featured ever. We don't automatically like a cuisine just because it's different; we only like it if it is great, and Oda House is wonderful.
We began with the Georgian Salad, above, which arrives in style with oil and vinegar on the side for Ms. Uberpicky as she asked. Pictures are unedited. Produce is this fresh! Tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions showed us that less is more. Next, we tried the trio of Spinach/Eggplant/Green Beans and walnuts, a cold appetizer. We're going to stick to English for clarity but you should know these guys are straight from the country Georgia and are the authentic real deal. The menu is in Georgian and English. Phkhali Trio is its formal name. They are super-choppped:
We also tried the Georgian salad: fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, green and red peppers, romano leaves with fresh basil, ground walnuts and warm cornbread cheese croutons. Normally this is dressed in pesto but Peachy wanted to apply it herself. The Georgian pesto is made fresh every day and it's quite the authentic touch.
Adjaruli is the best word in the Georgian language to us so far because it means CHEESE BREAD. The cheese is to-die-for and it's kind of like mozzarella and feta. You mix the egg first and as we always say, actions speak louder than words and this was the first item to magically disappear in its entirety and live happily ever after in Peachy's stomach. This should be on your dinner wish-list.
Mix it up and dive in immediately!!!!
We suggest not sharing. Make other people order their own. It is way too delicious to share. In fact, get another to take home for yourself!
We're sure the Georgian wine is tops as we had it last time, however, it was so subzero the day we visited Peachy had green tea. Excellent. Nice presentation too! Really, when you go to Oda House you actually feel like you are going to someone's house and Aunt Maia is making dinner. It has a demonstrated hospitality that sets it apart.
Pichini is beef, onions and mushroom pastry and this savory amalgamation is perfect on a winter's day. It's excellent and hits the spot in a big way! Other than the cheese bread, and note as we are pretty new to Oda House we see there are many cheese breads on the menu that we will have to try, there's not just one, we love the Garlic Hen Entree the best. Also, it really is served exactly this hot. Pictures don't lie!
We reveled in the Shkmeruli, and the garlic thyme sauce smells amazing first and when you dive in with your fork, your garlic chicken dreams in winter come true. Finally, there are kebabs and we chose the Salmon for our fish entree. Salmon Mtsvadi is just what we wanted, done just right with potatoes.
Oda House continues to impress us and we look forward to their continued success.
